Battle of Rhode Island

The Battle of Rhode Island (29 August 1778) was a battle of the American Revolutionary War in Rhode Island. The battle marked the first instance of cooperation between France and the United States after France entered the war as an American ally, but the French fleet was damaged by a storm, and the land assault by the Americans failed.

In 1778, the Kingdom of France entered the war on the American side, and the French sent a fleet of 12 ships and 4,000 troops under the Comte d'Estaing to blockade the British fleet in the Delaware River. The British, upon hearing of the approach of the French fleet, abandoned Philadelphia and headed to New York City. D'Estaing arrived a month late, missing the opportunity to destroy the British fleet outside New York Harbor. Because the heavy French vessels could not enter New York Harbor, D'Estaing instead decided to attack the British garrison at Newport, Rhode Island. The rebels raised 6,000 militiamen, among them Colonel John Hancock and Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Revere, but the French were less than impressed. John Sullivan and the Comte d'Estaing agreed to synchronize their attack on Newport, with the French landing on the west of the island and beginning a naval bombardment; the Americans would land on the eastern side and join the French north of the city. However, Sullivan saw a sudden opening in the British line and attacked a day early, infuriating D'Estaing, who called the breach of plan "an insult to France". 20 British warships under Richard Howe arrived from New York to repulse the French fleet, but they spent a day searching for favorable winds. A gale suddenly struck and blew for three days, and the fierce winds knocked down masts and broke off rudders. D'Estaing was forced to leave for Boston to repair his fleet, and he refused to leave Sullivan any of his ships or men. Without French naval support, the Americans began to evacuate Rhode Island, and the British pursued.

Some of the most furious fighting occurred between the Hessians and the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, which consisted of African-American soldiers. For four hours, the 1st Rhode Island repelled 3 Hessian assaults, killing or wounding five times the men that they lost in one of the fiercest actions of the war. The battle ended in a military setback and a diplomatic blunder, and Sullivan publicly blamed the French for the defeat.